Maldivian President to visit India on 4-day visit, his second since assuming office | India News

New Delhi: Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu will be on a four-day visit to India starting today. This will be his second visit to India in last four months. He had earlier visited the country in June this year, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Releasing a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that during his visit, Muizzu will meet his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu and also hold discussions with PM Modi on a range of bilateral issues including trade and tourism. He will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru for business events.

MEA releases statement on Muizzu’s India visit

“Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and holds a special place in Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’,” the MEA statement read earlier.

Strain ties between India, and Maldives earlier this year

It may be noted that ties between both countries had got strained after Muizzu took over as the President of Maldives. He is widely seen as a pro-China leader. Earlier this year two of his then minister took to x to make derogatory remarks on PM Modi, which led to an increase in tensions that led to tensions between both nations. After this, the Maldives government removed the two ministers.

India had also withdrawn all its soldiers from the island country by May 10 after a deadline was set by the Maldivian government. Both sides, however, tried to improve ties after the Maldives acknowledged India’s important role in its economic development. In June PM Modi had also invited Muizzu to New Delhi to attend his swearing-in ceremony after the Lok Sabha polls.